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Photo of the Week This Week in Education and Labor NewsThis Week's Focus Events CalendarYour Chapter Leader Checklist New on UFT.orgTell Your Members Professional Committees

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Photo of the Week

AN INCREDIBLE DAY: Thousands of UFT members were among the millions who joined the Women’s Marches in New York City, Washington, D.C. and other cities around the country on  Jan. 21. 

This Week's FocusShow your love for public schools on Valentine’s DayWhat better occasion to show your love for public schools than on Valentine’s Day? On Tuesday, Feb. 14 to show how and why you love your school.  You may want to ask your students to each make a “heart” that describes why they love their school and then display these hearts or create a video slideshow of close-ups of the most powerful hearts. Or make a two-minute video featuring members of the school community talking about why they love their public school. Or take a cue from the members who decided to #WearRedforPublicEd on Wednesday to show their opposition to Betsy DeVos and organize a group photo on Feb. 14 with a Valentine’s Day theme. Need more ideas? Check out these suggestions. Share your photos on social media using the hashtag #PublicSchoolProud and email your best one or two images (large size, horizontal is best, with detailed caption information) to us at uftphotos@gmail.com. Remember, if you plan to take photos of students on Feb. 14,

please collect signed UFT parent consent forms for the students in advance. Download the UFT consent formWith the very idea of public education under attack, I hope you'll join us on Valentine's Day to show your love for your school.

Seeking educators and parents to be interviewed for #PublicSchoolProud videosAs part of our #PublicSchoolProud campaign, the UFT is looking for dedicated educators and proud public school parents to tell their stories for a video project. We will interview educators about the challenges and rewards of teaching and working in a public school. What are the obstacles your students face? What makes you proud of your students? How do you reach that difficult student? How are you a role model for your students? What lessons have your students taught you? We’ll also interview parents about why they love and support their child’s school. How have teachers and other school staff helped their child reach his or her potential? What hurdles has the school helped the child surmount? What makes their child’s public school special? Fill out this online form to let us know if you’re interested in participating in this project and let us know about colleagues or parents who would be great as well.

Earn CTLE hours by attending LearnUFT sessionsMembers, register for the first round of LearnUFT work sessions scheduled for the first two Saturdays in February at every UFT borough office. The New York State Board of Regents recently adopted new regulations requiring all teachers who hold professional certificates and paraprofessionals who hold Level III teaching assistant certificates to collect and track 100 professional development hours known as Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) hours. As a state-approved provider of CTLE hours, the UFT has launched LearnUFT, which will offer professional learning opportunities at cost specifically designed to meet our members’ needs. These UFT courses are taught by qualified veteran Teacher Center instructors and all certificates of completion will be archived for the duration of each five-year cycle. By completing your CTLE hours with LearnUFT, you can be sure that your records will never be lost or misplaced. See descriptions of the first LearnUFT Saturday work sessions on the UFT website. LearnUFT will offer work sessions in all five borough offices on weekends and during the summer. We will continue to add more options for LearnUFT courses throughout the spring and summer, so please check back.

Read and share the DOE’s new guides on teacher evaluationThe new Advance Guide, which was developed by the DOE in consultation with the UFT, is an overview of the teacher evaluation system in place for this school year. The guide provides detailed information on Measures of Teacher Practice (MOTP), flags important timelines and provides additional resources to support teachers. Advance at a Glance is another tool for teachers to use for a quick month-by-month survey of upcoming deadlines in the evaluation cycle. In addition, the DOE in consultation with the UFT, released the following Measures of Student Learning (MOSL) supplement guides: MOSL Supplement Guide for Alternate Assessments; 2016-17 MOSL Supplement Guide for Elementary Schools; 2016-17 MOSL Supplement Guide for Middle Schools; and the 2016-17 MOSL Supplement Guide for High Schools, so MOSL committees can begin to meet regarding allowable MOSL selections for each grade and subject in their school. A full MOSL guide will be distributed next week. Please share these documents with the teachers in your chapter as they contain the answers to many questions that may come up about how teachers are being evaluated. 

Help get the word out about Betsy DeVos before the Jan. 31 Senate committee voteThe U.S. Senate committee vote on Betsy DeVos for U.S. education secretary was pushed back to this coming

Tuesday, Jan. 31. Help get the word out that she’s the wrong choice to lead the Education Department by sharing video about her lack of answers at her confirmation hearing. Also watch this video about how Betsy DeVos is

a danger to special education. Look for the UFT Facebook post of the special education video on Saturday morning. Read and share this page about the threat to public schools posed by DeVos and Vice President Mike Pence.

Thanks for joining us at the Women’s Marches last SaturdayThe UFT like to thank all the chapter leaders and other UFT members who participated in the historic Women’s Marches in New York City and Washington, D.C. on Saturday, Jan. 21. Thousands of UFT members joined millions around the world to send a message to Donald Trump on his second day in office. Together, we took a stand for our rights as educators, New Yorkers and U.S. citizens. You can see photos from the march on theFacebook page and view our video slideshow. You should take pride in what we accomplished on Saturday.

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Your Chapter Leader ChecklistSchool-based MOSL committee selection process begins on Feb. 1: The anticipated deadline for

MOSL selections will be between Feb. 1 and Feb. 7. Please work with your principal to convene your school-based MOSL committee and select the Measures of Student Learning (MOSL) for each grade and subject. Though we are starting the MOSL selection process late this year, you will find it is much simpler than in the past because the state and local measures have been replaced by a single measure with lower stakes. This should make choices easier for you and your school. Please note the new Project-Based Learning Assessments and Student Learning Inventories announced in December are not available this school year. You and your school will receive more specific information so that your committee can complete its task. You can also refer to the teacher evaluation guide for a full description of the new student learning measures. See the item above in This Week’s Focus for links to the four new DOE MOSL guides that you can consult.

Sabbatical deadlines to be announced soon: Tell your members that the DOE will release the timeline for fall 2017 sabbatical applications in the coming weeks. Members interested in taking a study sabbatical should attend a UFT sabbatical workshop beginning next week. For details on the workshops, including registration information, see the Events Calendar items below.

Tax deductions for UFT members: According to the IRS, if you are an eligible educator, you can deduct up to $250 of any unreimbursed expenses you paid in 2016 for books, supplies, computer equipment (including related software and services), other equipment and supplementary materials you use in the classroom. Your union dues are also eligible as a miscellaneous deduction. For more information about tax deductions for UFT members and educators, please read our information item or see the IRS website.

Grief and loss counseling groups: Has a member of your chapter experienced a difficult loss in the last year? The UFT Member Assistance Program (MAP) runs counseling groups to assist members in managing their grief and adjusting to the loss of a family member, significant other, friend or colleague. It’s time to enroll in the winter–spring 2017 series of counseling sessions, which will all be held on Thursdays from 4:30 to 5:45 p.m. The dates are Feb. 2 and Feb. 9. The spring dates are March 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30. For details and registration information,

 MAPinfo@uft.org or call 212-701-9620. Registration is limited.  Here is a flier to hang on your UFT bulletin board.

Last chance for eligible seniors to apply for an Albert Shanker student scholarship: Each year, the UFT awards $1 million in scholarships to academically excellent and financially eligible New York City public high school seniors through the Albert Shanker College Scholarship Fund. To receive a $5,000 scholarship from the fund, those selected must be accepted and matriculated in a full-time, degree-granting program at an accredited

college or university. Please reach out to your school's college advisors and guidance counselors to make sure high school seniors take advantage of this great opportunity by applying for a scholarship. You can get more information on the scholarship and application materials on the  UFT Scholarship Fund page. The application deadline is Tuesday, Jan. 31.

Follow UFT divisions and departments on Twitter: Did you know various UFT divisions and departments are on Twitter? To get the latest news and information, you can follow the UFT elementary schools division @UFT_Elementary ; the UFT middle schools division @UFTMS_Division; the UFT high schools division @UFTTeamHS; the UFT Bronx borough office @BBOUFT ; the UFT Brooklyn borough

 @UFT_BKOffice; the UFT Manhattan borough office @UFT_MBO; the Special Education department @UFTSPEDVP ; the UFT Safety & Health department at @UFTSafety; the UFT Paraprofessionals Chapter @UFTParas; representatives from UFT District 75 @D75uft ; and the UFT Alliance of Charter Teachers and

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Salary & PersonnelExcused leave for breast or prostate cancer screening and blood donation: UFT members can receive up to four hours of paid leave to get a mammogram, up to four hours of paid leave for prostate screening, and up to three hours of unpaid leave to give blood. The state Legislature passed the laws granting our members these benefits at the urging of the UFT and our state affiliate NYSUT. A personnel memo issued by the DOE outlines the procedures for UFT members to follow when requesting these leaves.

EvaluationPolitical ActionCOPE is the best tool against a state constitutional convention: Let’s use our collective voice to strengthen our schools and communities and to improve our working lives. As we roll out our campaign to vote NO to a constitutional convention, when the stakes are high, UFT COPE is there to fight back against policy proposals that would hurt educators and their families. By contributing to COPE each month, we ensure that our voices are heard by lawmakers and decision-makers on the issues and policies that matter to us. COPE is funded entirely by voluntary contributions; we do not use any union dues for political action. Let’s get the message out that thanks

UFT COPE, we get results.

GrievanceA new labor-management committee can help resolve class-size violations: Through a recent arbitration ruling, the UFT gained a new process to find solutions for schools with chronically oversize classes. A joint labor-management committee consisting of three UFT representatives and three DOE representatives will now meet to discuss solutions for schools with an extensive history of oversize classes. For the first time, the UFT and the DOE are required to review issues at schools with a long history of oversize classes before going to arbitration. Schools give up no rights when the committee reviews their cases. If a particular school cannot reach a solution, the UFT can proceed to arbitration. Read the news story on the UFT website.

Health and SafetyNeed to make a safety complaint? Just go to this web address: www.uft.org/safety-complaint and follow the instructions. Remember: If you believe the situation you are reporting constitutes an emergency, please call the union’s safety hotline at 212-701-9407 for immediate assistance.

Special EducationFAQ spells out special education and ICT requirements: Special education teachers and related-service providers see firsthand that many students with disabilities are not receiving the services they need. This special education FAQ, created jointly by the DOE and the UFT, spells out the requirements of IEPs, integrated co-teaching and Chapter 408. If the procedures outlined in this FAQ are not being followed, it will be part of the agenda for the next consultation committee meeting with our principal. If the issue can’t be resolved through consultation, this online form can be used to ask our UFT district representative for assistance or a  special education complaint can be made. The Know Your Rights column in the current New York Teacher also focuses on special education issues.

New MembersFree AFT workshops about managing student debt have begun: The UFT and the American Federation of Teachers, our national union, are teaming up to help UFT members get relief from crushing student debt. Members are invited to attend a free workshop about managing student debt in one of the UFT’s five borough offices. These workshops, which are open to all UFT members, will alert you to federal programs that can help you lower your monthly student loan payments or even get your debt forgiven. All workshops will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Registration is required. To see the dates and locations of all remaining workshops and to register, go to

online sign-up form.Workshops for new teachers: The UFT Teacher Center and the Member Assistance Program are offering a series of workshops to help teachers in years 1 to 3 navigate challenges such as classroom management, student engagement and professional collaboration. Each workshop will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. at UFT headquarters, 52 Broadway. Teachers can receive two CTLE hours for selected workshops. For workshop descriptions and online registration, see the flier.

Professional Learning OpportunitiesFree workshops for elementary educators: Elementary educators of grades K-6 are invited to free

workshops presented by the Council for Economic Education. K-5 teachers can attend “Using Playdough and Children’s Literature to Teach Personal Finance and Economics” on Wednesday, March 1. Grades 3-6 teachers can attend “Entrepreneurship and the Mini-Economy” on Thursday, March 2. Both workshops will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Science, Industry and Business Library at East 35th Street and Madison Avenue. Lunch will be served. Participants will receive six CEUs. For full workshop descriptions and to register, see the flier .

ASPDP spring semester registration is underway: Registration has begun for the spring semester After School Professional Development Program (ASPDP) courses. These low-cost P-credit courses can be applied for a salary differential as well as the state requirement of 100 hours of Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE). All courses are aligned with the Common Core Learning Standards and the Danielson Framework for Teaching. Courses are taught by DOE instructors as well as nonprofit organizations and cultural institutions such as the Museum of the City of New York. To enroll in a course, register for an ASPDP account  and explore the course catalog. For more information and to register, email ASPDP@schools.nyc.govMembers can sign up for the ASPDP mailing list to receive course updates.